DYI Ceramic Coating Underground 4runner

Ceramic Coating process on '24 Underground.


Decided to create this post to share my experience and process of applying ceramic coating to my 4runner specially since the underground paint seems to be more prone for visible scratches and dirt.


Bought the truck new on September 2024, came with window tints and PPF only on the hood. Underground is a nice color as it has different shading hue depending on the time of day, but since it does not have the metallic flakes it’s very easy to detect scratches, watermarks and fingerprints.

I decided to go with Adams's Graphene ceramic kit after recommendations from YT and friends that have used it, bought this whole kit for about $200 on a Black Friday sale.

Things to note:

-First time applying ceramic coat and doing a detailing job like this.

-Ceramic Graphene bottle is enough for 2 applications. They claim it last between 5-9 years, but realistically 3 years max in normal conditions.

-Shelf life for this product is only 2 years. So, I decided to also apply it to my 2011 Camry first to have a practice run since it’s my beater and the dirtiest of the two.

-I originally bought truck in NC and had it shipped to CA , 1 month later the Malibu fires happened so my cars were full of ash for about 5 days which left more dirt and grime.

-I don’t have a garage, so this process was harder since I had to do it in a private parking lot going back and forth to the self-car wash.

-This post in mostly to share my experience on the process and give my thoughts on the product and a realistic time that it would take, and finally if it’s worth doing yourself, have it professionally done or even if it’s worth doing it at all.

-This is meant as a quick overview of the steps I took, but you should read the instructions that come with the kit and do your own research since it’s a lengthy process, tons of YouTube videos out there.

- Took me 2 weekends back-to-back.


The process:

This is everything that came with the kit:







Prewash - Washed it normally to get most of the grime and dirt off at local touch-less wash. Time: 1 hour per car.

Iron remover - used 1 bottle per car, applied it, let it settle for 5 minutes and lightly spread it with towel, rinse off with water, rinse with water. Time: 1 hour per car.

Clay bar - Probably the most time-consuming part specially on the Camry, had years of metal particles and dirt stuck to the paint. Recommend using 2 clay bars per car since its only $8 (after a while, clay bar gets hard and less malleable). 4Runner took 2 hours, Camry 4 hours.

Polish – I did NOT polish either car for the following reasons:

1. Did not have equipment.

2. Do not have a closed garage, so essentially had to do everything in 1 day.

3. Camry's paint has basically no clear coat anymore since it is 14 years old and I will probably need a paint restoration in the future. 4runner is new, so clear coat is pristine and no visible scratches and did not want to mess with it.

Surface Prep - I used the one provided (purple solution) but you can also use a 50% IPA solution. Spray and wipe off with 2 Microfiber towels. 2.5 hours per car.

Ceramic Application Time: 2 hours per car:


Camry:

Silver color is a little easier to spot when the curation has happened but still hard to see, it all depends on temperature and moisture at the time. UV flashlight was useless to me since the parking lot lights could not be turned off.

After applying Graphene coating (small black bottle) in a small area, I used a timer of 3 minutes and I would wipe off since at that point the towel felt "grabby" when wiping ceramic off the applied surface, (again, make sure to do research on how to apply this) I found that the best method was to wipe off with Microfiber towel and then with the grey suede towel as you can feel more of the car when wiping off.

On all the windows I used the glass ceramic (tiny black bottle) and same method, wipe after 3 minutes.




4Runner:

Underground color was even harder to see curation point "rainbowing effect" , I used the same method as the Camry.













4 Month Review:

Since I use my cars often, they do not stay clean for long, so the coating is not noticeable most of the time, but if you run your fingers through the paint its feels smooth and water just runs off with ease. I wash them 2 times a month and it’s a JOY to do so, spraying them down with just water takes care of 80% of the job and when drying with towels paint just feels so smooth. The paint really shines much better than before especially when car has been just washed.


Water "floats" on paint.


After 3 months, I used the Ceramic booster (white solution) again 1 bottle was enough for both cars. As its name suggest; it supposed to boost the hydrophobic properties that is already in your car when you applied the ceramic coat. Application should be after a wash, sprayed and wiped off with 2 different towels. I did notice a shinier coat after application but not much different than when I originally applied ceramic coat, same as before paint feels smooth to the touch, water repels very quick and washing them is a breeze. Here are pictures AFTER applying the booster (3 months after ceramic coating application):






Final thoughts:


Adam's products have good reviews and are quality products. Their advertising of 9 years is definitely a stretch, and my expectations are 3 years max. Pricing seems to be the same when compared to other products and should be bought as a kit. $200-$220 for 2 uses/vehicles seems to be a fair price, when considering 1 car would cost around $2000 - $3000 when having them professionally done.

Planning on applying the ceramic booster after a couple of months along with washing truck consistently, making sure to completely dry it as water marks on this Underground color seem to be very visible.

Do I regret it? No.

got my hands dirty and learned new "skill" and with all the research I've done about this, I now know what products to use and how to properly take care of the paint. Took 2 weekends of my life and now paint should be semi-protected for 2+ years from UV rays and will be a lot easier to wash.


Will I apply ceramic coat after this one wears off? No.


I will continue to wash it regularly, maybe decontaminated it and clay bar it every few years since those products are cheap (The most expensive is the ceramic coat). The main factor to maintaining paint and clear coat pristine for 15+ years; is keeping it away from the sun as much as possible (sun can do lots of damage no matter what product is on paint), so garage is key, as well as washing it consistently and detailing it every few years.

I would not recommend buying ceramic coating for only 1 car, best use in my opinion is to split it between 2 cars or go halfsies with a buddy. Would not trust the ceramic coating bottle after 2.5+ years after being opened.

Before you decide on ceramic coating, you should know that It will NOT prevent scratches, pink stripes, scuffs, watermarks, paint chips. It’s just really another layer of protection specially for UV. You still must properly wash it, dry it if you want to keep the paint pristine.

What I learned by doing this is that, the real benefit is the decontamination process (iron remover and clay bar) since you are removing all the dust, iron and grime from the car, and eventually avoiding scratching it further when washing it. Adding the ceramic coating was more of a " bonus" "cherry on top" kinda thing, especially on the Camry since it was never properly cleaned/detailed in the last 5-7 years.


My plan for the truck is to keep it away from the sun as much as possible, touchless wash it, decontaminate it every few years and maybe apply some wax every few months. Truck will eventually get scratch and banged up since I plan to go off-roading and across the country to pretty often, so don't worry guys this truck will not look this good forever, not going to be a garage princess lol .

Happy to answer any questions hope this was helpful.